The new QAA review: a risky business or leveling the playing field?

As QAA consults on a new way of assessing universities and colleges, Stephen Jackson says that a single review method will not lead to a one-size-fits-all approach.
The way we review universities and colleges in the UK has come under close scrutiny since the government published its 2011 white paper, Students at the Heart of the System, bringing to the fore the idea of more proportionate quality assurance in higher education. Currently, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is consulting on changing the way we review higher education in England and Northern Ireland. For the first time, we will apply the same method – Higher Education Review – to both universities and further education colleges. This move signals our confidence in colleges' delivery of higher education. Read more...